Nottingham to London on Sat. 20/3/10

[TimO]

I'm going to die horribly on this trip.

Aside from the 130 mile cycle, I need to be up at around 4-30am, so I can get up, bugger around (feeding cat etc), cycle to East Croydon, get the train to London Bridge, and cycle across town to St Pancras for the 0655 to Nottingham.

I'm wondering if it's a better idea to just cycle direct to St Pancras, but that's 14 miles, and I'm loathe to knacker myself out any more than I have to.  I'd still have to include some slack in the timing, so it wouldn't save me any time, just a bit of paranoia about the trains from East Croydon not running!

The current forecast southerly wind isn't helping my confidence any either!

[MacB]

Tim, could you not travel up the night before, book a B&B and then you get more sleep, a leisurely breakfast and feel much fresher for the ride?

[teethgrinder]

But I is confused. From what I could gleam from google maps, that involves cycling along the dual carriageway section of the A6, or am I missing something like a cycle path or a parallel road?

True, but if you still go through the village of Barton you rejoin the A6 half way up the cutting and it's only about 200 meters of dual carriageway up to the roundabout at the top.
I think there's even a good hard shoulder but it's certainly better than the Right turn in Hexton which is at the bottom of a blind dip.

I'm not sure there's much in it.
It's quite a nice ride from Barton and up the lane. It's just a right turn at the bottom of a hill, nothing especially bad. It's a tougher climb up Grovell Gravell Hill than the A6, but much more pleasant and a great run down the other side.

[teethgrinder]

I might even try to meet you up for some of this ride.
I'm helping with the club 10 mile 2 up TT in the morning.
Do you plan on stopping at Market Harborough or somewhere around there?

[TimO]

Tim, could you not travel up the night before, book a B&B and then you get more sleep, a leisurely breakfast and feel much fresher for the ride?

On reflection that would have been the way to do it, but I've got my £10 ticket now, and I'd have to buy another £30-£40 one for the trip up, plus finding & paying for a B&B, when I don't really have the time in the next few days.

Ho hum.  Next time I'll probably do something like that.

[rower40]

Are you still coming to wave us off? If so I'll get down to Nottingham station earlier for a natter.

Sorry, I can't make it now.  "North Of England" head race in Chester on Saturday, and I'm coxing a novice crew there.  Then straight down to sunny Didcot on Sunday to help get the new Thames Valley Signalling Centre into use - i.e. hold the hands of the signalmen who've not used computrickery before.

[αdαmsκι]

Ho hum.  Next time I'll probably do something like that.

Or it's possibly I'd be able to offer accommodation (sadly it isn't possible at the moment). Oh, and I like the phrase "next time" .

I might even try to meet you up for some of this ride.
I'm helping with the club 10 mile 2 up TT in the morning.
Do you plan on stopping at Market Harborough or somewhere around there?

Yes, I need to at least get an ATM receipt from Market Harborough and as that's about 70 km into the ride, we'll probably be stopping to eat at that point, too. I'll send you a PM with my mobile.

[teethgrinder]

I'll send you a PM with my mobile.

That would be very handy...



...if I had a mobile phone too.

[αdαmsκι]

I'll send you a PM with my mobile.

That would be very handy...



...if I had a mobile phone too.

Well you can call me from one of these:
 [img height=200 width=133]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/118/301332027_68047135f8.jpg[/img] .

[oncemore]

While it's my neck-of-the-woods, I think you'd better go without me.  I'd only slow you down.  But I might show a face at Nottingham station to wave you off...

+1!

Are you still coming to wave us off? If so I'll get down to Nottingham station earlier for a natter.

Planning to, yes. I'll try and memorise your route out of town and "lead" the way if you aren't familiar with it!

Edit. Re-looked - route self-evident and I guess you know it anyway!!

dave j

[TimO]

Edit. Re-looked - route self-evident and I guess you know it anyway!!

I don't.  I don't think I've ever been to Nottingham, or at least no more than passing through on a train or car.

[αdαmsκι]

Edit. Re-looked - route self-evident and I guess you know it anyway!!

I don't.  I don't think I've ever been to Nottingham, or at least no more than passing through on a train or car.

Don't worry, I know the route out of town very well, tho I'm actually thinking of going out a different way to what I put up on RouteYou. Instead I was thinking of going out via Gamston, then the cyclepath crossing of the A52 and past Nottingham airport 'cos it's only a wee bit longer and it's a lot nicer than slogging up the A606 through West Bridgeford (gmap-pedometer).

Planning to, yes.

Super. I'll be the guy hanging around the station with a blue Ribble.

[TimO]

... I'll be the guy hanging around the station with a blue Ribble.

I'll be the guy on the train with the very dirty Kaffenback.

If I wasn't doing this ride, I'd take the bike out into the back garden and give it a damned good wash and clean.  Theoretically I could still do that on Sunday, but I might just spend it lying flat out all day.

In future with a ride like this, we need someone who knows the middle of the route, since between the two of you, you must have pretty good knowledge of the start and the bit towards the end.

I guess I should have gone out and reconnoitred the near London end of the ride, but I haven't had enough spare time recently to even think of doing it before now, let alone enough time to actually do it!

[αdαmsκι]

I guess I should have gone out and reconnoitred the near London end of the ride, but I haven't had enough spare time recently to even think of doing it before now, let alone enough time to actually do it!

When I lived in Kentish Town I used the A1000 as my escape route to the country, so I know the route from Potters Bar-ish to Euston Rd. The section that'll be unknown by either Adam or myself will be from Market Harborough* to Olney.

* Well technically from Willoughby-on-the Wolds to Olney, but considering most of the section from Willoughby-on-the Wolds to Market Harborough is along the B6047 navigation shouldn't be too difficult.

[TimO]

Incidentally, how fast do we have to do this?  I don't know what the rules are for DIY Audaxes (Audaxen?), but a very brief reading of the handbook suggests that if we leave at 9am, we have to be at the end by 11pm.  Is this the limit?

Hopefully we'll be done before then, but I wondered what your worst case scenario is?

[αdαmsκι]

I've got just over 14 hours in which to do the ride, and whether I was doing this as an audax ride or not, I'd hope we'd be finished by then! So yeah, with a start of 9am we'll have to be done by 11pm.

[TimO]

I'll be carrying my normal set of lights, which allow me to do a FNRttC, but I rather hope that I don't need that duration!

(I'll also be cycling in the dark in the morning, since I'll be leaving before sunrise).

[teethgrinder]

I know the route from Potters Bar-ish to Euston Rd. The section that'll be unknown by either Adam or myself will be from Market Harborough* to Olney.

* Well technically from Willoughby-on-the Wolds to Olney, but considering most of the section from Willoughby-on-the Wolds to Market Harborough is along the B6047 navigation shouldn't be too difficult.

Market Harborough to Olney is almost exactly the reverse of a 600k event I organised in 2003. If I do my usual route, which is almost exactly the same, then I know it very well from Market Harborough to near Northampton and probably well enough until Potter Bar, but I might go home before then.

[αdαmsκι]

Ah, brilliant. Navigation is going to be easy peasy.

[TimO]

I'm slightly unnerved by the current forecasts.  Most sites seem to fairly consistently have >10mph Southerly winds all day, with various degrees of wetness.

The only good thing is that the temperatures are pretty mild, 10-15°C.

[JonBuoy]

There is a very slight chance that I may come and escort you across the Wreake Valley Badlands and into the foothills of the East Leicestershire Alps.  I assume that the first part of your route is still Widmerpool, Willoughby, Ragdale, Hoby etc as shown on your RouteYou and Googlemaps links.

I notice that you have decided to take the bridleway south from Willoughby.  I know that it is called London Lane but ...

If this is the plan I will bring the mountain bike otherwise can I suggest you go to the West end of the village before going south on Hades Lane. 

[TimO]

Yikes, it looks even worse at the other end.  I assume this is an oversight by Adam or Adam, I don't know which one planned this bit of the route!

They can cycle that way if they wish, but I think your suggestion is a better route, and barely any longer.

What I'm wondering now is why we appear to go down a driveway in Gaddesby and then turn around and go back out again...

[teethgrinder]

Where shall I meet you in Market Harborough?

If you're using it for a food stop, there's the Langton Inn where the B6047 crosses the A6. Also a Mc Donalds there if you only want a quick, cheap tea and a brevet receipt.
Or there's a MegaStarbucks in town next to the traffic lights at the cross roads. (On your left from the north)
And do you know what time?
I should get there about 12 ish.

[αdαmsκι]

There is a very slight chance that I may come and escort you across the Wreake Valley Badlands and into the foothills of the East Leicestershire Alps.  I assume that the first part of your route is still Widmerpool, Willoughby, Ragdale, Hoby etc as shown on your RouteYou and Googlemaps links.

Correct. The only change I've made to the route is from Nottingham to Tollerton. I'll PM you my mobile number to make things easier.

I notice that you have decided to take the bridleway south from Willoughby.  I know that it is called London Lane but ...

If this is the plan I will bring the mountain bike otherwise can I suggest you go to the West end of the village before going south on Hades Lane.  

That's wrong; it came up as such because I went for the get directions by walking option. We will be using Hades Lane.



Mr. Grinder,

From Nottingham to Market Harborough it's about 65 km, so if we leave by 9am then I guess we'll also be arriving noon-ish. I'd be happy with a quick cuppa at The Golden Arches and push onto Olney for a proper food stop (another 45 km). However, I cannot say what the others would wanna do.

[TimO]

By midday I'll have been up for eight hours, so won't want my lunch too much later.  Another 45km may be pushing it!

Having said that, hopefully I'll have had early-mid-morning break at St Pancras, and possibly mid-mid-morning break at Nottingham.